No need to sweat Bears' battle at left tackle

Position battles in NFL training camp are favored storylines but generally overrated. If you have two players competing for one position — it's unlikely the winner is that much better than the loser.

Even when Rosevelt Colvin beat out rookie Brian Urlacher at weakside linebacker in 2000, it wasn't like Urlacher was going to wither on the bench all season. In fact, it made it even easier for Urlacher to replace injured starter Barry Minter at middle linebacker in Week 3 that season, and the rest is history.

Same thing two years earlier when second-year undrafted free agent Casey Wiegmann beat out 21-year-old rookie Olin Kreutz in training camp in 1998. It looked like a disappointment at the time. But as it turned out, Wiegmann was more than capable that season and much better than we thought in the long term. After losing his starting job to Kreutz in 1999, Wiegmann eventually signed with the Chiefs in 2001 and ended up starting for the next 11 seasons — making the Pro Bowl in 2007.

That's the way it is in general, but never more so than in a Ben Johnson offense, which historically gets the most out of just about every player in it. That's why the Bears' open competition at left tackle — arguably the second or third most important position on the offense — isn't as critical as offensive line position battles have been in previous Bears training camps. Braxton Jones, Kiran Amegadjie and Jedrick Willis are competing for the Week 1 start — with Ozzy Trapilo possibly returning later in the season. The winner isn't going to be prime Jason Peters. But he's unlikely to be the weak link that short-circuit's Johnson's offense in Year 2.

That's not just faith in Johnson's offense and his knack for getting capable production from every position. It's based on previous history. Last year, the Bears had a similar competition at left tackle that looked ominous at the beginning — with Jones winning by default then losing the job after four games — but worked out in the end.

As it turned out, the Bears had four players start at left tackle in 2026 and each one was better than the other — Jones, Theo Benedet, Trapilo and finally Joe Thuney for the playoff game against the Rams. And with an offensive line unit that is considered only as strong as its weakest link, the Bears' offense never faltered in 2026. The Bears were ninth in scoring, sixth in total yards, 10th in passing yards and third in rushing yards.

It was the first time in the Super Bowl era (1966-present) that the Bears ranked in the top 10 in all four categories. (When they did it in 1965 — second in points, third in yards, third in rushing, fifth in passing — there were only 14 teams in the NFL.) In fact, it was only the second time in 30 seasons the Bears were in the top 10 in just points and yards (2013, when they were second in points and eighth in yards under Marc Trestman).

Having a hole at left tackle isn't optimum, obviously. And while Trapilo last season started to look like a legitimate long-term answer, the seriousness of his patellar tendon injury casts doubt about his future effectiveness. But the winner still gets to play next to the best left guard in the NFL in Thuney (assuming Thuney doesn't have a significant decline at 33/34 in 2026), which sure seemed to make a difference last season. When Benedet — a 2024 undrafted free agent — started seven games in place of Jones last season, the Bears went 6-1 and ranked ninth in scoring (26.0 per game), third in yards (386 per game), first in rushing (161.6 per game) and sixth in sacks allowed (10).

It ultimately made a difference after Trapilo suffered his injury against the Packers in the postseason. Instead of turning to Benedet, they moved Thuney to left tackle and started third-year pro Jordan McFadden at left guard. Benedet had started just once in the previous seven games, and his rust showed against Aiden Hutchinson in a 19-16 loss to the Lions in Week 18.

The matchup against Rams edge rusher Jared Verse made the Bears vulnerable with a rusty Benedet. But let the record show that the Bears' offense fared well with Benedet against double-digit sack defenders Maxx Crosby, Von Miller, Cam Jordan, Chase Young and Brian Burns in his initial seven-game starting stint.

So now the Bears are about where they were a year ago at left tackle. Assuming Jones' injury suffered Thursday in practice is not serious — he reportedly is day-to-day — it's a three-player race for the starting job. And no matter who wins, the Bears likely will find a way to thrive, as long as Thuney is at left guard and Caleb Williams is behind center.

That's the beauty of the Ben Johnson offense. It's the same situation on Thuney's right side, with newcomer Garrett Bradbury at center after Drew Dalman's sudden (and still unexplained) retirement. Bradbury's early success in camp is a revelation to some, but shouldn't be. He's a seven-year NFL starter in top-10 offenses with the Vikings (2019, 2022, 2024, plus 11th in 2020) and Patriots (second in 2025). Now he's in a Ben Johnson offense, where veterans have a history of getting acclimated quickly — Graham Glasgow and Kevin Zeitler with the Lions — and he's playing next to Thuney.

Even after Dalman's unexpected exit, center is one of the least-concerning holes to be filled heading into 2026. If Bradbury falters, rookie Logan Jones is a touted rookie hand-picked for Johnson's offense who might get his shot sooner rather than later. Again, as was the case with the Lions, those guys usually work out. The Ben Johnson offense isn't infallible when it comes to roster additions, but with his record, it's a surprise when a newcomer doesn't work out, not when he does.

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